Today’s mobile news roundup features Facebook’s new app store, Galaxy Note’s ICS upgrade, Micron Technology’s plan to acquire Elpida, and more.

Facebook App Center

Social networking giant Facebook Inc., unveiled their own mobile app store, dubbed the App Center, just days after major updates rolled out to its Facebook and Messenger mobile apps.  The company describes it as the “new, central place to find great apps like Draw Something” and other titles.  It’s also an opportunity for developers to market their apps in yet another mobile software hub.  Interestingly enough it will be accessible through the Facebook app itself.  How’s that for Facebook’s slowly evolving mobile strategy?

The App Center will start rolling out in the coming weeks and Facebookers can access the app store via their iOS or Android Facebook apps.

“The App Center is designed to grow mobile apps that use Facebook – whether they’re on iOS, Android or the mobile web,” said  Aaron Brady on Facebook’s developer page.  “From the mobile App Center, users can browse apps that are compatible with their device, and if a mobile app requires installation, they will be sent to download the app from the App Store or Google Play.”

Analysts see this as a bold move into the mobile realm by Facebook as they are trying to prove that the company can be anything and everything at once.

“I think the store is an important element – a community of developers is a fundamental element in the growth we have seen with Apple and Android,” Saverio Romeo, an industry analyst from Frost & Sullivan, told the BBC. “The type of applications that the Facebook community can develop can have an incredible open horizon.

“Facebook is ubiquitous – it does not have any preferential routes. The question is the monetisation of all this.”

Samsung Galaxy Note finally gets ICS update

Some owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note reported receiving a notification that the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update is ready to be delivered via an over-the-air update, while some were already able to upgrade their device via the Samsung Kies app for PC.

The upgrade is about 319MB and includes a new TouchWiz version that comes with the new S Note app and a new S Memo widget for the homescreen

Micron Technology to acquire Elpida

Boise, Idaho based Micron Technology, known for their semiconductors such as DRAM, SDRAM, flash memory, SSD and CMOS image sensing chips, has its eyes on Elpida Memory Inc., the Japanese chipmaker that filed for bankruptcy in February.

The Tokyo District Court already approved Micron’s proposal for the acquisition of Elpida’s entire business.  The acquisition would double Micron’s share of the global market for dynamic random-access memory.  Elpida’s chips are the most widely used chips in PCs, and this would help Microm compete with Samsung Electronics.  Elpida supplies the chips used in Apple’s iPhones.

Judge declines Oracle’s demand

After the Oracle-Google jury failed to come up with a unanimous decision as to whether Google went beyond “fair use” of material copyrighted by Oracle in building the Android platform, Oracle demanded that US District Judge William Alsup make a “judgment as a matter of law”.

Oracle argued that Google’s defense did not prove fair use but Judge Alsup stated that Google’s argument was enough for him and there’s no need for such judgement.  Everyone is still waiting on Alsup’s response to Google’s motion for a mistrial.